What is Guiding You?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Every successful organization has goals…

Every successful organization also has a set of guiding principles that it bases its decisions and endeavors off of. These principles are the foundation of what they do and they keep them on track to accomplish their goals. Having guidance prevents frustration, burnout, and the “side-routes” that often suck up much of our time and energy.

To any church “leaders” or ministers I would ask: What principles should guide our decisions regarding the worship ministries within our respective churches? To the average “church-goer” or layperson I would ask: What principles should you be noticing within your church’s worship ministry?

There is obviously no single “set-in-stone” list… but I believe there are four basic principles that provide for us a good foundation to build off of. I will discuss them below.

  • Exalt the Lord

Psalm 99:5 says,

Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!

That same Psalm continues in verse 9 to say,

Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!

This couple of verses does well to form a foundation of where our worship ministries should begin. They set forth an obvious goal…

All of our efforts in music ministry begin with the priority of exalting the Lord.

We strive for many things within the Body of Christ. We know that we have one purpose of glorifying God, but we tend to take many routes and avenues to get there. That is fine… but in all of our goals we should have a priority of exalting the Lord. We should be continually striving for excellence in our efforts to exalt the Lord.

Psalm 96:1-13 says,

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Psalm 95:1-11 says,

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Ultimately in our worship ministries, and services, our music is offered to glorify the Lord.

1 Peter 4:11b establishes that very line of thinking where it says,

In order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

In our planning, leading, singing, and living we should be focused on helping other people to get a glimpse of the great God that we praise, so that they themselves may see that He alone is worthy of exalting.

A last side note to this point is that we should be living humbly and teaching an attitude of humility and service to our choir/ praise team members, soloists, and instrumentalists – so that God alone receives the glory.

  • Edify the Saints

Let’s acknowledge the facts…the world is a fallen place and Christians are bombarded all week with discouraging words and events. It is far too easy to live in a constant season of discontentment, discouragement, or in we need if refreshment. In our weekly congregational worship gatherings we need to intentionally be working to encourage those around us with the Gospel.

My advisor, Greg Brewton, at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary once told me,

If what you are doing doesn’t encourage you personally then there is either a problem with what you are doing or with your heart.

I think as leaders in our respective churches we all must ask ourselves: is our worship encouraging the people in our church? I hope so! After all, this is the Body and Bride of Christ that we were, and are, entrusted with to care for until His final return.

1 Corinthians 14:26 says,

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

We all have been given something! This gift isn’t for ourselves… it is for Christ and for sharing with those around us to build them up!

Romans 14:19 shares this thought when it says,

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Ultimately, every song, element, and aspect should have a purpose… and that purpose is to build up the church. All things that take place when we are gathered together are to be shared by Christ and His Bride (the church). Our songs and elements should build each other up… they should teach and admonish.

In fact, Colossians 3:16-17 says exactly that,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

  • Equip for Ministry

Another foundation or focus we should have within our churches and ministries is to be equipping others for ministry!

I often have said that my goal is to replicate myself… in NO way does that mean I think highly of myself or that I have it all together. I just want to know that I am pouring into someone else and that if something were to happen to me then the particular ministry I am involved in could continue on without missing a beat.

Imagine yourself away from your ministry… what happens? Does it fall apart?

That is the true test on how you have equipped others in your ministry. The leading of the music is the easy part… the equipping is the hardest part. Ultimately if all we have is a band and no leaders of the Gospel then we have done nothing more than a public school band director. That isn’t a sucker punch at band directors… but that isn’t our job! We are ministers… which means we are to be ministering!

Ephesians 4:11-14 says,

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

This passage in Ephesians tells us that as leaders we aren’t the lone rangers of the Gospel. We aren’t to carry out ALL of the ministry. As leaders we are to be equipping others to do ministry. We are leaders who lead by example and equip those around them to live out the Gospel.

For us who are “ministers” this is a challenge because sometimes it is easier to just do the work ourselves… but our job is to equip, so we need to spend time enabling and trusting others.

As a “church-goer” or layperson this is also a challenge because it puts some of the weight back on your shoulders. Ministry isn’t just a minister’s job! You share in the responsibility… they are there to provide instruction, guidance, and support.

  • Evangelize with the Gospel

We all know the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20,

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

The act of going takes priority in all other actions. If you are “going” somewhere then it is typically apparent to everyone around you. Sometimes we tend to forget that this is a commandment and not a suggestion. That commandment doesn’t exclude our worship ministries either!

The great commission is a commandment and worship ministry is not an exception to it.

Our worship services are also outreach opportunities! Our music ministries should support the overall vision and goals of the church – outreach, missions, etc. In the end, the worship ministry is a part of the church as a whole and not a separate entity. We are ALL to be evangelists in ALL things.

Let’s commit ourselves to not just focusing on our ministry or preferences!

We need to be singing and selecting songs that express the Gospel story in clear terms, and we must also be concerned with the spiritual condition of those within our music ministry – choir members, instrumentalists, children, youth, etc.

My advisor, Greg Brewton, at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has also told me this,

We have failed if we have produced trained musicians and a congregation full of music lovers, but have not produced Christians growing in their walk with the Lord.

So… what principles exist and guide your worship services?

 

 

 

It’s Family Time!

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

When we gather together as a church “family” is that really what it looks like? From an outsiders perspective what do our Sunday morning experiences exhibit or demonstrate? Do we look and act like a family? Do we operate in unity towards accomplishing the same purpose or goal? Or… are we a bunch of individuals gathered in the same place doing roughly the same thing?

What are our corporate gatherings supposed to look like? What about our corporate worship?

Dr. Ed Steele once said,

Congregational worship is more than just a group of individuals having quiet times in the same place. It is the Body of Christ gathered together in unity and diversity centering adoration on the King of kings and Lord of lords and responding in obedience to Him. The emphasis is not on “my personal experience,” but “our obedient response” to His revealed nature and character.

Ralph Martin further drives home that same thought when saying,

The thought that the Church at worship is an accidental convergence in one place of a number of isolated individuals who practice, in hermetically sealed compartments, their own private devotional exercises, is foreign to the New Testament picture.

In a culture that is completely wrapped up “self,” corporate worship is the black sheep. It isn’t meant to be done alone. Personally I believe that it’s important to remember that worship songs are intended to be sung with others!

When speaking of corporate worship Eric Benoy said,

We gather together for corporate worship, a group of people to do something in one accord. If that is the case, then why do some worship leaders today want to make corporate worship a personal experience? It is oxymoronic in a way. If we have gathered intentionally for corporate worship, then should we not then be striving for a corporate offering of praise, adoration, et al and hear from God as a body of believers? We have come together specifically to be the church gathered; to worship and become equipped to be the church scattered.

If our worship isn’t a time for ourselves… then what is it a time for? Obviously it is a time for praising and worshipping our God, but what purposes does it serve for the body of Christ? Let’s think together below.

  • It’s time to teach.

As humans we are observant people. Often I can learn more from watching a situation or experience unfold than from being told about it after the fact. Think about it… would you rather read the directions or watch the task being done in order to learn how to take part in it or do it?

What would you say if I told you that your worship isn’t just for you and God?

I would dare to say that while your worship is for God, others also can gain from it. The people who worship alongside you can learn in the same way that you can from merely being around each other while you worship. It is a powerful and natural teaching method!

1 Corinthians 14:26 says,

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Colossians 3:16 says,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

What I find encouraging in these passages is that nobody comes to the table with nothing to give!

1 Corinthians clearly says that each person has something to offer and those offerings will by used for teaching and admonishing each other as we are told in Colossians. Continue to seek God in your worship and you will naturally teach and instruct those around you while doing so… even if you don’t feel like you are adequate to instruct or lead.

  • It’s time to learn.

Theodore Roosevelt once said,

You may worship God anywhere, at any time, but the chances are that you will not do so unless you have first learned to worship Him somewhere in some particular place, at some particular time.

As you were growing from childhood to adulthood how did you learn how to handle yourself or behave in public? You observed people all around you doing it… and you were instructed. The same thing can be said about our worship… just like we teach each other (talked about above), we also should be continually learning from each other.

For me it’s not necessarily learning the aesthetics of worship… but rather the heart of worship. By worshipping alongside people you know you learn from their experiences and you share in those things together.

I love the idea that as worshippers we are never not adequate enough to teach through our actions… but also never “advanced” enough to stop learning. Our corporate worship is a give-and-take amongst a community or “body” of believers. We are all learning and all teaching. We are strengthening, up-building, and guiding each other. You worship isn’t just for you, but rather, it serves many purposes.

  • It’s time to encourage.

Have you ever just sat back and watched your local congregation worship?

It’s amazing.

What is amazing isn’t the “professionalism” of the sound… perfect 4 part harmonies with great pitch and tone. It is amazing that worship breaks down the barriers that this world and culture so easily build. People of all races, skin colors, economic classes, social statuses, and backgrounds all come together in the same way before God… unworthy but loved.

If that doesn’t encourage you in your faith then you might want to check your vital signs!

I am encouraged on a weekly basis by the people worshipping around me. I know their stories… their hardships and their victories, and when I see those people humbling themselves before God and crying out in praise to Him I am reminded of how fleeting this life is and how eternal our Savior is. God is bigger than any situation or barrier and congregational worship draws us together to be encouraged by each other in recognizing just how big and great our God truly is.

Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to be encouraged weekly!

  • It’s time to fellowship.

Acts 2:42-47 says,

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

What this passage out of Acts shows me is that corporate worship can help us avoid the “me and mine” mentality and can help us see ourselves as Christ sees us. Being mindful that we are part of the Body can also help us avoid delusions of our own importance before God. Stephen Miller said,

We exchange the glory of the Creator for the created and eventually replace God with ourselves. And as we become the object of our own worship, these subtleties start to creep into our worship services. They creep into our songs and the way we interpret and preach Scripture. They creep in as a consumer mentality that says we must bend over backwards to please the consumer Christians who are attending.

By seeing ourselves as the Body of Christ we are not demeaning our personal experience, but rather we are guarding ourselves against an unintentional shift in focus to “our” personal experience rather than on who Christ is and what He as done. If we are not careful the desire to achieve a “personal” worship experience becomes a goal and we miss the object for which the worship should have been directed.

A consumer mentality in our worship can cause us to desire the “experience” more than the “Savior.”  

Our worship teaches us our place in the Kingdom of God… as the body and the bride. We come together congregationally to live out those designations as the body and to fellowship in that mutual calling and purpose.

We can even see an example of this “fellowship” and unity in the body of Christ in Matthew 6:9-13 where we are given the “model prayer” or the “Lord’s Prayer.” Look below and take note of the congregational wording where I have added emphasis.

This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive usour debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Worship is personal… but it is also meant to be shared with others in the body.

Ephesians 5:18b-21 lays it out simply by saying,

Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Don’t neglect your church family or congregational worship… but rather delight in it and see it for all that it truly is!

God will be Worshipped

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the one of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Throughout His earthly ministry it was rare that people recognized Him and worshipped Him for who He really was: the Son of God.

But… in this case they did. Here comes Jesus riding in on a donkey and the people are lining the road and praising Him as the Messiah. The people are crying out “Hosanna!” This word was originally an appeal for deliverance, translating to “please save.” But here we see it being transformed into an expression of joy and praise for deliverance that only the Messiah brings.

The crowds that lined the roads recognized whom Jesus was and were moved to praise.

The reason this is such a big deal is because at this point, the people still believed that the Messiah was going to be a warrior king who would overthrow the Roman government and raise Israel to a place of political and military power. However, we now know that Jesus accomplished the will of God in a way that they didn’t expect. But… their preconceived notions or thoughts about the Messiah didn’t prohibit them from recognizing Him and His power and worshipping Him for who He was.

The story is continued in Luke 19:37-40 where it goes on to say,

And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Did you catch the end of that verse?

The Pharisees were religious teachers of the day, but they let what they thought they knew about God completely blind them for seeing God right in front of their faces. Their religion was their God. It is what they worshipped.

Are we sometimes so caught up in the things that we “know” about God that we miss the workings of God taking place right in front of us?

If Jesus were to ride into our churches today would we be moved to worship and praise Him or would the rocks have to cry out?

This triumphant entry is the beginning of the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and when the Pharisees tell him to quiet the crowd, his response is simply amazing:

I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

What Jesus is saying is that because He is who they say He is, that He is worthy of their praise. Do we realize that? Jesus IS God, and He is worthy of all praise we can give Him and more!

So much that if people fail to praise him, then the stones themselves will because He is worthy of it! God WILL be praised. Regardless of willingness, circumstance, cultural acceptance, or even your participation!

This is one of my favorite stories in Scripture because it reminds me of how awesome God is, and it serves as a job description for all believers! Our job is to be worshipping God and bring Him the glory due His name. We should be constantly worshipping him!

Imagine hearing a rock cry out the praise of Christ. How incredible would that be? It is nothing more than a rock… but God is so amazing, that even it MUST acknowledge and give him praise. To be honest though, I don’t want the rocks to sing God’s praise because if they do, that means I’m not doing my job!

Our job is simple.

Psalm 150:1 says,

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Psalm 98:4 says,

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.

1 Peter 1:8 continues along with this pattern and says,

Let your love of the Lord Jesus pour out; rejoice with a glorious inexpressible joy.

The crowds who had seen Jesus ministry, his miracles, heard his teaching, and had their lives touched were eager to speak and cry out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Their words were a confession, an acknowledgment that in Jesus they were placing their hope, their future, their security, and their salvation.

Has Jesus changed your life? What are your words confessing?

Brothers and sisters… will you confess God’s goodness and salvation message each and every day despite your circumstances, emotions, or what the world might say?

Will you cry out or will the rocks take your place?

Psalm 95:1 says,

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Is our “Worship” Self-Centered?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Every Sunday churches around the world sing, pray, preach, and fellowship together. Many of these churches do these same things in drastically different ways.

  • Some sing hymns. Some sing choruses.
  • Some have full bands and orchestras. Others have organs and choirs… or even sing a cappella.
  • Some dim the lights. Others don’t.
  • Some sit in chairs. Others sit in pews.

What is the difference and why has such importance been placed on our tastes?

I am not suggesting that having variety in our worship styles and environments is a bad thing! I am actually a huge proponent of it… but we have to be careful when having so many choices to make in regards to where we worship, who we worship with, and how we do it that we don’t allow it to cloud out who we are worshipping and why. When faced with so many choices we have to be intentional in remaining centered on what worship is… we have to fight the consumer mentality that plagues the masses of our culture.

We must change our worship culture. We have to fight the “what can I get from this” mentality. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… The primary focus of worship isn’t to serve us!

Nowhere in Scripture is worship described as something primarily focused on OUR enjoyment? So… how do we fight to change our worship culture into one that glorifies Christ? Let’s think together.

  • Stop evaluating corporate worship off our opinions.

“Worship wasn’t very good today.”

What does that statement really boil down to… and whose fault is it

Worshippers and worship leaders alike have to fight this mentality. Do we judge our worship based off our opinions on how “well” the songs were executed, how “well” the congregation received it, or how “outwardly” people displayed their worship?

Are we judging then based off our preferences and emotions, or the truth spoken of and the praise poured out to God?

Let me speak to the worship leaders for a second… Do we pick particular songs because our band plays them good or they transition well into each other to create a seamless experience? Obviously neither of these things should be entirely ignored, because as faithful leaders we should strive for excellence… even in our planning! But, they shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. We shouldn’t target or aim or services around songs that we know “go over well.” Instead we should be designing services that reveal things about God and allow our congregations to pour out raise according to those revelations.

Sometimes it is a real battle to use our music to both glorify God and serve the body while fighting against using it to glorify ourselves and serve our needs and preferences. Sometimes as congregations we have to move past the outward “sound” of our worship and evaluate the heart and purpose behind it.

  • Put the “Us” before the “I.”

Do we neglect to sing along in worship or dislike songs just because they aren’t our “cup of tea?” I mean… I totally get the worship was debate going on. New versus old… contemporary versus traditional. But in the end don’t all of our “worship” songs seek to fulfill the same purpose?

Move past yourself and allow God to create in you a love of serving others…even when it means in worship style!

My pastor once used an illustration where he said that a pastor of a church in the middle of a worship war asked the adults in his congregation one Sunday morning who was willing to die for their kids. Every single hand went up. Then he followed up the question with the question of who was willing to change their traditions and worship styles/ preferences to better reach and serve their kids.

That thought is sobering.

What are we doing? Who are we truly serving when our worship is self-centered? Our purpose is ought to be simple: to worship in spirit and truth, glorify the Father, and encourage the body. That takes sacrifice and a shift in priorities away from satisfying our own interests and preferences.

  • Theocentricity.

God-focused. God-centered. Theocentric.

Robert G. Rayburn once said,

It is fundamental that we recognize that all true Christian worship must be theocentric, the primary motion and focus of worship are Godward.

What does having a theocentric focus in a worship service mean for us? Its simple… our services should not be about the lost, the saints, or any experience. Instead it should be solely focused upon God. Now obviously in a service that is focused on God there will be much to glean from for the lost, the saints, and it is likely to be full of encounters and experiences… but we aren’t focusing on or targeting those things!

As worshippers our concern should be both His praise and His presence. We are drawing near to Him not only to glorify Him but also enjoy Him. True worshippers have the desire displayed in Psalm 27:4-5,

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Church worship isn’t something done for the congregation… it is something done by the congregation!

Hebrews 13:15 says,

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

We should seek to “draw near” to God in worship… not seek to satisfy ourselves.

James 4:8–10 says,

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Hebrews 10:19–23 says,

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

In Scripture we aren’t called to make ourselves comfortable or to be “seeker sensitive.” Instead we see passages like Psalm 29:2,

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Psalm 96:7-9,

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

And Psalm 100:1-2,

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

In Matthew 4:10 Jesus said,

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”

Who does your worship serve? Yourself or God?

What’s your New Years Resolution?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

As 2015 draws to a close many of us can probably look back at a whirlwind of a year that seemed to begin only yesterday. As I look back over the past year the faithfulness and provisions of God blow me away. We truly are a blest people regardless of circumstances or temporary bad situations.

What has God brought you through? How has He displayed His faithfulness in your life? What has He taught you?

As we think on these things it is impossible to not be thankful for the love of such a perfect Father, and to begin to look to what this New Year might mean or bring for us. Each and every year people all over the world make resolutions going into a new year… some make it longer than others.

There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing magical or extraordinary occurs at midnight on December 31, but nonetheless, we feel as if another page has been turned or another season has come upon us and this can be a good thing.

A New Year gives us a chance to access, evaluate, and set goals for our upcoming walk in life. As we enter into this New Year as Believers I hope that our resolutions center around our walk with Christ… below I will openly think about some of the things we should strive to do!

 Let’s resolve ourselves to:

  • To celebrate the birth of Jesus daily.

As we enter into this New Year the Christmas season is fresh on our minds. What a wonderful season of remembrance and celebrating the birth of our Savior! But… too often we limit the celebration of our Savior’s birth and coming only to the Christmas holiday when in fact it should be a daily celebration that we walk and live in!

Our God, perfect and holy, sent His son to pay the penalty of death for sin on our behalf! What else is worth celebrating more than that?

Jesus came into the world to redeem us because He wants to have close fellowship with us. My favorite name of God is Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.” I love the picture that this paints in my mind. What other religion can say that they serve a God who comes, or came, to His people to save them? None that I can think of… every other religion seeks to serve a God tat they must approach or earn their way to commune with. But our God wants to be with us, intimately involved in every aspect of our lives.

That is worth celebrating each and every day.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with remembering the birth of Christ on Christmas but we shouldn’t limit ourselves to only thinking and celebrating His birth on that specific day. In reality, Scripture doesn’t provide a specific date of Christ’s birth and I believe that is deliberate for our understanding that the date itself is meaningless and not worth limiting our celebrations to… the simple fact that Jesus was born is to be part of the Christian’s thinking every single day of the year.

This year let’s make it a priority to think on and celebrate the coming of a Savior on our behalf each and every day.

  • To live like David.

Many of us are familiar with David as the young man who struck down Goliath with just a sling and a stone. But David also was the young man who had to live many years of his life on the run from King Saul who, out of jealousy of his appointed successor, put a price on his head. In many of David’s writings we can see that the theme of his life was perseverance and trust in God in the midst of unrelenting trial and obstacles.

In fact, many of David’s writings are seen today in the book of Psalm. David didn’t just suffer and persevere in silence! He trusted and sang about his faith in the Lord to be his deliver, shelter, refuge, and hiding place.

Isn’t it a wonderful goal and resolution to sing out about our faith joyfully in the midst of good times and bad?

We can see David’s faith displayed in Psalm 32:3-7. It says,

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ — and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

We can also see it in Psalm 30:11,

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness

David definitely wasn’t a perfect leader or a perfect man, but his faith is something to be admired. King David passionately pursued the Lord and His holiness with no care as to what others might think or say. David truly worshipped with abandon! Most of us know the story found in 2 Samuel where the men are bringing the ark into the city and David joyously danced in the streets… even to the point that his wife was displeased with him!

2 Samuel 6:14 says,

And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.

Do we worship freely in front of others or are we afraid of what they may think or say?

Psalm 149:3 provides the avenue and instruction… we just need to lay down our pride and live with a reckless abandon in obedience to what The Spirit guides us to do. Psalm 149:3 says,

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

Psalm 150:1-6 says,

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

If you could be whatever you desired and have anything you wanted, what would that look like to you? Where would Jesus fit into your priorities and lifestyle? Would you be more likely to do things your way or His?

This year we as believers should challenge ourselves to seek the Lord in the way we live. We should long to have the desires of David… the desire displayed in Psalms 27:4,

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

David possessed everything he could want when he was King, but yet as we read through his writings we see where his priorities truly were. David was a man after God’s own heart and we should strive to live with his trust and abandon Him as we follow Jesus daily.

Psalm 146:2 says,

I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

  • To have the faith of Job.

In this past year many of us have endured things we wouldn’t have wished on anyone… even our worst enemies! Some of us have experienced a loss of a job, a relationship, or even a loved one. Some of us may be struggling mentally, emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually. As Christians who hold fast to the Word of God, and believe what it says, we know that these events aren’t meaningless and we aren’t suffering for no reason. It is hard to not ask “why” these things happen… but instead I think we should think of this one truth:

Our suffering only reminds us of the reprobate nature of this life. Everything around us is ultimately dying.

No matter how bad we think our situation is we should never think that God has left us or does not care. God works in mysterious ways and all things work according to His ultimate will and purposes.

What is God showing us through our trials? What is He teaching us in our suffering?

In this upcoming year I hope to have the faith of Job, more specifically I hope to remain steadfast in times of trial and to hold on to Jesus at all cost.

When Job had lost it all he still didn’t fail to recognize God’s faithfulness. Job 1:20-21 says,

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

This year I wish to have the faith of Job throughout suffering and trial and to take the advice of King David as found in Psalm 27:14,

Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

I am more than excited to enter fresh into a new year pursuing Jesus. What are your New Years resolutions?s

I am a Child of God

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

 

1 John 3:1 says,

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

At New Hope we as a congregation have really latched onto singing a song by Bethel called, “No Longer Slaves.” It truly is a wonderful song about breaking the chains of fear and recognizing the work of God in our lives.

In this song there is a powerful declaration made lyrically. The writers conclude the choruses and the bridge with the simple statement, “I am a child of God.” Really, at first glance nothing seems too astounding or revolutionary about this statement because many of us have sat through countless Sunday School classes as children where we were told that exact thing… maybe in a more boring fashion.

But… in reality, there is no statement more revolutionary.

John 1:12 says,

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

What greater love has Christ shown to us than calling us His children?

Being a child entails and encompasses so many of the other things we already know about God and His sacrifice on our behalf.

What does being a child of God really mean?

  • Children will be instructed

To “instruct” means to direct, to provide with knowledge, and to train or inform. Like any good parent God does these things with us… His children.

Proverbs 4:1-4 says,

Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.”

As children of God we not only have the right to be instructed by God… but we also have the right to learn and obey!

Proverbs 3:1-2 says,

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

1 Corinthians 14:20 hammers home this idea of continued instruction and growth when it says,

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

It is actually simpler than the world would like us to believe! We understand that our walk with Christ is a process and we should be continually looking more and more like Jesus, but it is hard. If we want instruction and knowledge we are told in Scripture that as Children of God all we have to do is ask for it.

Proverbs 2:1-5 says,

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

There are many ways in which God responds to this “asking” and instructs us as His children. We have been given His Spirit to guide us, we have been given a direct line to the Father in prayer through the death of Jesus, and we have Scripture to instruct and inform us in the ways of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Rejoice! As a child of God you have been granted access to more knowledge than you can ever contain… the important thing for us to remember is simply to take God’s instruction!

  • Children will be disciplined

This is the advantage that many of us may consider a disadvantage…

Nobody likes to be disciplined. It is rare that an individual tells on himself or herself, or a criminal asks the judge for a harder sentence. Discipline isn’t fun… but it is often necessary.

Proverbs 13:24 puts it this way,

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

We understand that discipline isn’t done, or shouldn’t be done, out of anger, frustration, or spite… but rather it is an act of love to steer or guide someone away from something harmful or detrimental to them. Proverbs tells us that a parent who doesn’t discipline their child doesn’t love them…in fact they are said to hate them! It is for this reason that we know God disciplines us as His children.

Hebrews 12:5-11 says,

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

So… God disciplines us because He loves us. As children what do where do we go with that information?

Proverbs 12:1 says,

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

We should take the Lord’s discipline and learn from it. Discipline isn’t something to hate the discipliner for… rather it should cause us to love more deeply.

  • Children will be nurtured 

Psalms 103: 13 says,

The Lord is like a Father to his children, tender, and full of compassion to those who fear Him. For He understands how weak we are, He knows we are only dust.

We are children of a tender Father who is full of compassion. If that doesn’t call for a loud hallelujah then I don’t know what will.

When snooping around online I found an article on a health website that had 8 things to do as far as nurturing a child goes. When reading those points all I could think about was, “That is exactly what God does for us… His children.” Those points were,

  • Encourage your child to express his or her feelings; respect those feelings. Let your child know that everyone experiences pain, fear, anger, and anxiety.
  • Keep communication channels open.
  • Listen to your child. Encourage questions. Provide comfort and assurance. Be honest.
  • Encourage your child’s talents.
  • Spend time regularly with your child.
  • Foster your child’s self-worth. Help your child deal with life’s ups and downs. Show confidence in your child’s ability to handle problems and tackle new experiences.
  • Discipline constructively, fairly, and consistently. Use discipline as a form of teaching, not physical punishment. Help your child learn from his or her mistakes.
  • Love unconditionally. Teach the value of apologies, cooperation, patience, forgiveness, and consideration for others.

How thankful are we for God and His gentle nurturing?

  • Children will be protected

My personal favorite part of being a child of God is the benefit of God’s protection that comes with it.

Psalm 91:1-10 says,

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.

Psalm 34:7 says,

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

There is no problem, enemy, or force of Satan that is more powerful than our God. In our weakness His strength is magnified. In our trials His grace is evident and His mercy is liberating.

Psalm 46:1 says,

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Isaiah 41:10 says,

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The Lord is present. As God’s children we must merely ask.

Psalm 34:4 says,

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Because we are Children of God we have nothing to fear.

Psalm 27:1 says,

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

There is nothing more freeing than being a Child of God. John Adams once said,

Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.

God is our Father and educator and there is nothing more freeing than salvation. If you have been reborn as a child of God walk in that freedom… if you haven’t been born into His family all you have to do is ask, it is an open invitation.

Damascus.

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

I’ve never been a fan of pain. I don’t know many people who are.

If God is SO good then why do we suffer?

We hear that question a lot nowadays and I fear that much of it spawns from a misunderstanding we have about our God. Our God’s goodness isn’t inter-related or dependent on current events, politics, national or international affairs, the money in our bank account, our successes or failures, or our sickness or health. Or God’s goodness is connected to one thing only… Jesus Christ.

Since God is the source of all goodness, then what God does for his own sake ultimately benefits us. Therefore whatever glorifies him is good for us. This includes both or good times and bad.

What do we do in times of suffering? What is God accomplishing?

Below we will discuss some things to keep in mind in times of suffering.

  • God may be creating you into who he wants you to be.

We have heard it said that our stories and experiences have shaped or made us into who we are today. I wholeheartedly agree.

Think about it… it is common sense that we learn from our past experiences and sufferings.

The first time I touched a hot stove burner or a sharp razor edge I learned that I didn’t want to do that again. Many of the things we are going through currently are shaping us into something that can be used by God. Only God can take the ugliness we are currently in and create something beautiful from it.

We see this in Scripture with the story of Saul. Saul was an angry man who persecuted, tortured, and killed Christians. Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee in Jerusalem after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He swore to wipe out the new Christian church and destroy the Christian movement.

One day Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest any Christians that were in the synagogues and an amazing thing happened. Let’s pick up this story in Acts 9:3-19,

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.

Saul encountered the very God He had been persecuting and was never the same again. Something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. He arose and was baptized into the Christian faith. After his conversion, Saul’s name was changed to Paul, and he spent the rest of his life serving Jesus and teaching people about him. He became a missionary to people all over the world. Suddenly, instead of being the person who hurt other Christians, Paul became persecuted himself for Christ’s sake.

What are your experiences doing within you? Is God using situations and circumstances in your life to make scales fall off your eyes?

What is your suffering causing you to see?

  • God may be using your pain.

It’s hard to imagine that God would have to use something like our pain to accomplish His purposes and to achieve proper glory for Himself… but we see it Biblically displayed. John 11:1-16 speaks of a story that may be all too familiar to many of us. In this story a man named Lazarus is sick and dying and His sisters are begging for his life to be spared from death. John 11:1-16 says:

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

How many of us have had a loved one die unexpectedly and we just don’t understand why?

Many of us may read that passage and say, “Why did Jesus say that this illness wouldn’t lead to death.” Was Jesus wrong? Did he underestimate the severity of the illness that had befallen Lazarus? Absolutely not. Pay attention to how He follows up the statement,

“This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

God desired to receive glory through that miracle. Its purpose was not so much for the life of Lazarus, or for the love of Mary and Martha, as it was for the glory of God.

We see the glory of God in the remainder of the story. John 11:39-44 concludes,

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Ultimately, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead so men might recognize Him as God through His display of divine power.

God may be displaying His power through you and your life!

  • God may be “trimming” you up.

My grandma has bushes and flowers in front of her house. They look nice… but like any plant they have a tendency to get unruly. What does she do to solve this problem? She prunes them. She trims them up and shapes them into what she desires or sees as “fit.”

What would you say if I told you that we are a lot like a rose bush? We have the ability to made into something beautiful… but we have to be pruned or trimmed up.

John 15: 1-8 says,

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

A gardener prunes to what they see as fit, a painter paints to their liking, and God uses our circumstances to mold and shape us to what He sees as fit and acceptable.

Michelangelo didn’t leave the statue of David as a block of stone. He took his chisel and pounded on it with his hammer. He chipped away at that stone until he created something wonderful.

What is God chipping away from you?

Isaiah 48:10 says,

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

God refines us in our suffering and explains why in the following verse when He says that it is for His own sake that we are refined.

It is important for us to remind ourselves that our suffering or pain, the chaos we see all around us, the things put upon us that we don’t understand aren’t because God doesn’t love us or because He is a sick twisted God. In actuality, God is like a dentist or doctor who sometimes has to inflict pain on us for the betterment of us or our bodies as a whole.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, “A Grief Observed” about this very idea. He said,

But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. … What do people mean when they say “I am not afraid of God because I know He is good”? Have they never even been to a dentist?

In our suffering God may be making us better… refining us, and making us stronger through the darkness that we may feel that we are in.

We are pruned for God’s glory and for our ultimate good! What good is a half pruned rose bush? Don’t stop the process because it hurts a little… see it through and make the pain mean something in your life.

I would like to close with this excerpt from a message given by John Piper.

Not only is all your affliction momentary, not only is all your affliction light in comparison to eternity and the glory there. But all of it is totally meaningful. Every millisecond of your pain, from the fallen nature or fallen man, every millisecond of your misery in the path of obedience is producing a peculiar glory you will get because of that. I don’t care if it was cancer or criticism. I don’t care if it was slander or sickness. It wasn’t meaningless. It’s doing something! It’s not meaningless. Of course you can’t see what it’s doing. Don’t look to what is seen. When your mom dies, when your kid dies, when you’ve got cancer at forty, when a car careens into the sidewalk and takes her out, don’t say, “That’s meaningless!” It’s not. It’s working for you an eternal weight of glory. Therefore, therefore, do not lose heart. But take these truths and day by day focus on them. Preach them to yourself every morning. Get alone with God and preach his word into your mind until your heart sings with confidence that you are new and cared for.

Complaining: It’s what we like to do!

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

It’s easy to complain. Most of us are complainers…

Most of us probably don’t view ourselves as complainers… but that is part of the problem! We all want our voice to be heard. In fact I would say that part of this complaining epidemic spawns from the mindset that for some reason we deserve to have our voice heard.

Our nation is full of complainers. Our churches are full of complainers.

Many of us do well to make it to our cars in the parking lot before we have to voice a complaint or opinion about something on Sundays! How many of us have a running list?

What does your list look like?

Maybe like this: The music is too repetitious or doesn’t fit our preference, the sound system was too loud or soft, the pastor was long-winded or harsh, the baby that cried the whole service, maybe an annoying Brother or Sister in Christ?

I am guilty of this! Let’s ask ourselves… on Mondays do we remember anything about out Sunday service except our perceived negatives? Most of us if honest would have to say that we are masters in the art of complaining.

Why are we so quick to disregard the numerous positives about church, other believers, leadership, etc… in order to jump on the one or two negative aspects and complain?

Most of the time I think we would rather complain than actually work towards a solution to the problem.

You know what they call this? An armchair quarterback! Sporting events are full of armchair quarterbacks. An armchair quarterback is a person who offers advice or an opinion on something in which they have no expertise or involvement.

Is that us? Is this what we have become? Is the call of Christ on our lives merely just to complain? I think not.

It’s not that we really have it so rough, but rather that we don’t always have it our way.

I am convicted when I read verses like Philippians 2:14-15,

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

We should be ashamed of ourselves.

I have done my share of complaining over the years, and you probably have too.

James 5:9 says,

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

Criticizing and complaining is not a spiritual gift.

What other reasoning do we need to rid the spirit of complaint from our churches and ourselves? Judgment will be passed onto us for passing judgment on others! Below we will discuss some of the side-effects of our continuous complaints in hopes to bring to light how we are only making things harder for ourselves as commissioners of the Gospel.

  • Tears apart community.

Complaining is easy to do! It is easy to listen to! Complaining is a universal language! It is something we can all relate to!

The first major issue with complaint amongst believers is the fact that it damages and destroys relationships and the unity we all share in Christ. Ultimately, complaining damages relationships.

Colossians 3:12-14 says,

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against another, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Complaining encourages dissatisfaction, needlessly tears people down, and creates an unappreciative or unnecessary judgmental spirit within us.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:1-5,

Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye?

Let’s not be so quick to find the faults in every situation! God is still sitting on His throne even when the pastor aimlessly babbles for 15 minutes at the beginning of a service, or the worship leader doesn’t play that song that we like so much!

  • Draws our focus away from God’s goodness and promises.

How many times are we quick to forget all that we have been given by God? It’s funny how quickly the many blessings and provisions the Lord has blessed with us are forgotten with the perception of a single negative.

That is what our complaining does… it makes us quick to forget or to take for granted the goodness and blessings of God.

I immediately think about a time in Scripture when complaining and negativity shrouded out the goodness and promises of God. In Numbers the people of Israel are heading toward the Promised Land after they have been freed from the bondage of the Egyptians at the hand of Pharaoh in Exodus.

God has already provided greatly, and He tells them they will receive what they have been promised. But… when the Israelites hear that people in the last city that remains between them and their land are the size of giants, the people begin to grumble and complain and immediately forget God’s promise.

We see this in Number 14:1-4 when it says,

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Despite God’s plan, promise, and His numerous provisions for them they allowed their complaining to lead them to appoint a new leader to go back against God. The Israelites allowed their negativity to outshine Christ!

How often do we fall victim to this mentality? How often do we allow our complaints, rants, negativity, and “soap-boxes” to become our leaders?

We see in the following passages in Numbers how God reacted to His people when this attitude arose.

Numbers 14:26-35 says,

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

Geez! These are often the passages that we like to overlook or attribute to an Old Testament God in comparison to our perceived New Testament Christ. I hate to break it to you… but God doesn’t change. He is the same today as He was in the days of Moses and the Exodus.

God didn’t appreciate the complaints. What I find interesting is that the people weren’t necessarily complaining intentionally against God Himself, but rather their complaints seemed to be directed towards their situation. But in reality, God has ordained or days and a complaint against a situation is in actuality a complaint against God Himself.

Let’s think about it… what do we complain about?

What is our wilderness? What is our giant that we must face?

God has a calling for our life and sometimes that may mean experiencing things that we don’t understand or enjoy. We mustn’t “cheapen” the experience by complaining. Instead we must trust.

The promises and provisions of God that we see are only the tip of the iceberg! God has sheltered us and provided for us numerous times without our knowing it!

  • Consumes valuable time!

Complaining takes a lot of time and energy when we really think about it!

We should take a second to step back and ask ourselves: What good does my complaining do?

I’ve heard it said that, “As Christians, we are called to be the problem solvers, not the problem proclaimers.”

Sure, there are always going to be situations that frankly just stink. We live in a fallen world and we are a fallen creation. But, in the end, is any situation that we are going to face bigger than God? Obviously not. So we do we think our complaining is going to accomplish anything at all? It is a waste of time!

I immediately think of people in the customer service field. Anybody that has worked in this field is going to immediately understand or relate to this example. How about when a person experiences a problem with a product and calls the appropriate services to troubleshoot the problem and instead of taking the advice of the expert they would rather complain about the issue at hand instead of listening and working alongside someone else to resolve the issue and make it better.

It can be so frustrating! And ultimately, the problem just takes that much longer to be resolved because someone needs to “vent” or voice their frustration in an unhelpful way.

We’re supposed to be the troubleshooters. Not the pessimist that is totally comfortable sitting in the midst of a problem or situation without ever attempting to make anything better.

As believers we are supposed to be the encouragers, the motivators, and the accomplishers.

However, I do believe it is important to clarify that we shouldn’t confuse our decision to not complain with a lack of authenticity. As believers we shouldn’t be scared to admit that our lives aren’t perfect! When it comes to our witness, we don’t want to seem so fake and falsely cheerful that we’re no longer relatable. There ought to be room for anger and disappointment within the church handled or vented in a Biblical way. Ephesians 4:29 says,

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

What I love about this verse is how it point out that even when we are let down we are still called to build up and speak grace to people around us. This points us in a God-honoring direction… it acknowledges the bad stuff, where we fall short, but it places emphasis on the positives and works to create an environment of improvement.

The Christian faith isn’t about putting on a fake smile or pretending everything is skippy. Instead, Scripture asks us to surrender our frustrations to a redemptive God.

When things don’t go like they should and we are at our wits end and frustrated beyond belief, we could post a rant on Facebook and complain to our friends, or we can ask God how He might use this shortcoming or situation to shape us and glorify Himself.

Are you a complaining Christian? Do you have such a critical spirit toward others that you hardly realize that you complain against your fellow Christians? Would those who know you best say you are infected with a complaining spirit?

We mustn’t allow complaint to become our way a way of thinking.

You never know… maybe revival would come to the church if we stopped complaining against each other and worked together in unity to further the Gospel and troubleshoot problems!

I AM your portion.

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

We are, for the most part, a materialistic people. We live in an age of abundance.

We’ve all heard stories of families being torn apart over finances. Whether is debt or arguments over inheritance… it’s all the same. We all want what we consider to be ours!

As a child I can remember being concerned over equality of portions. It didn’t matter what it was: candy, cake, time, etc… Many times I robbed myself of my own enjoyment of whatever it was that I had just out of concern for what the other person had.

We’ve all done it! If you haven’t ever rushed to eat a slice of pizza as fast as you can so you can be the first to get up and get the last piece then you probably aren’t human… or a pizza lover like myself.

In fact, equality is a HUGE issue in today’s world.

When thinking about equality or “equal” portions my mind immediately goes to a story about one of the 12 tribes of Israel… the Levites.

We see part of that story concerning the Levites and their portion or inheritance in Numbers 18:20-23 where it says,

And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel. To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance.”

We see it discussed in Deuteronomy 18:1-2 as well when it says,

The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the Lord’s food offerings as their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.

So… what is going on here? The context of these passages goes a little like this… the land is being divvied up and the Levites are told that they don’t get a share!

How do you think that went over? Imagine having 11 siblings and a piece of family property is being divided up amongst you. When all eyes turn to you for your turn to receive a “portion” or piece you are shot down and told that you are the exception and don’t get to take part in the sharing. Feelings are probably going to be hurt and you are going to leave with a variety of emotions: anger, sadness, disappointment, etc.

You may be saying… Tanner I know there is more going on here with these passages. Give me the context.

When diving deeper into this subject we see that the Levites were the tribe of Israel in charge of the tabernacle and the sacred rituals. They were the priests of their time making sacrifices on behalf of the people.

How does this apply to us?

We are more like the Levites than most of us know or acknowledge. A study of the New Testament reveals that now because of the work of Christ Jesus all of us Christians are adopted and saved into a priesthood of believers. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:5,

You too are living stones, built as an edifice of spirit, into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:5b-6 says,

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Levites were priests and now because of Jesus we are too!

Now that we have established our priesthood what is next? Below, we will break it down into some particular points for organizations sake and develop our idea of living as a priest.

  • We must offer a sacrifice.

Now, because of this “priesthood” we have been given all Christians can offer unto God spiritual sacrifices. In fact, it really isn’t that we “can,” offer sacrifices… we SHOULD!

Romans 12:1 says,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

The good news is that we don’t need anybody except Jesus to mediate this transaction!

Hebrews 4:14-16 says,

All have the right to go directly to God through Jesus Christ, our High Priest.

So I hate to break it to you… but when it comes to offering sacrifices and living like the Levites (priests) our equality is tossed aside. In all actuality our sacrifice starts with “our” portion.

When we give up what we think to be “our” portion we actually gain the best inheritance of all… Jesus!

  • We must live as a Levite.

Some of you may glance at that sub-heading and say, “This dude is crazy. I’m not giving up everything I have (food, shelter, money) and managing a Tabernacle or “tent church.”

But if you will hear me out I promise you that it will be beneficial.

When thinking about my personal priesthood and the priesthood of believers I wonder… do we really understand the magnitude of importance in being priests according to the new covenant?

1 Peter 2: 9 says,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Many of us when reading that passage immediately notice that we are chosen, but too many of us miss or ignore the purpose for which we have been chosen. The turning point in the verse happens right smack dab in the middle with the three simple words,

“that you may”

We have been chosen to fulfill the purpose of proclaiming Christ’s excellencies here on earth!

Therefore, what does it mean for us to live in accordance to our type of priestly calling? Worshiping, serving, and praying for each other is certainly a good start. Our ultimate calling is to walk as Christ walked.

The verse out of 1 Peter 2 continues on in verses 11-12 to present us with ways to live as a chosen priest. It says,

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Hebrews 13:15 says,

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Side-note:

One thing I do find important to point out is that not every Levite had the same role. When studying the Levites we can find out that there were four divisions of the tribe of Levi. Some handled the primary priestly roles and others fell into “supporting” roles.

Some Levites made the sacrifices and handled the sacred rituals and artifacts. Others served by doing the on-going maintenance, disassembly, transport, and erecting of the Tabernacle, etc.

An understanding of this can help us to avoid frustration. We are all chosen for the ultimate purpose of proclaiming Christ… but the methods may be different. Obviously all of us can’t be pastors, worship leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc. But, we all can be servants which is ultimately what a priest is.

  • We shall not want.

The Levites (priests) were called to give up their inheritance and portion to follow the call on their lives.

There is a story of a rich young ruler in Matthew who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. In that story we see the dangers of trying to follow Jesus but hold on to our “stuff.” When Jesus told him to sell all he had, give to the poor, and then follow Jesus, the rich young ruler refused because he trusted his “portion” to satisfy his needs.

We see that story in Matthew 19:16:22,

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

When the Day of Judgment comes which inheritance do you want to hold? The inheritance of Jesus or the inheritance of the world?

We know to live like Christ we must trust in Him solely to satisfy and fulfill our needs. Ultimately, He is sufficient.

In Luke 9:58 Jesus says,

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

If Jesus is the ultimate high priest and we are to model our priesthood after His then I think the command and call is simple.

  • We must hold fast to our inheritance in Christ.

Hebrews 10:23 says,

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

We should hold fast to our inheritance given by Christ because out of the twelve tribes of the Israel the Lord chose one to be His own. The Levites. The priests.

Numbers 3:45b says,

The Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord.

Because we have been chosen we must hold fast because our inheritance is greater than anything we can attain here on earth.

Psalm 16:5 says,

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.

Lamentations 3:24 says,

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.

Why are we Confident?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

A problem many people face today is a lack of healthy confidence… Christians aren’t exempt from this phenomenon. In a world that is so twisted and unpredictable it is difficult to be truly confident in anything. Fame can diminish in seconds. Fortune can dwindle at the snap of fingers or the stroke of a key. Success can change like the wind.

With all of these things completely out of our control how can we be confident? Why would we be confident?

Merriam-Webster defines confidence as:

  • a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
  • a feeling or belief that someone or something is good or has the ability to succeed at something
  • the feeling of being certain that something will happen or that something is true

So… as Christians what does our confidence look like and where does it come from?

How can we feel confident as believers even though sometimes we feel as if we don’t even have a choice in the matter?

Psalm 44:6 says,

For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.

The Psalmist in this passage could seem to have a “self-confidence” issue if we approached the passage without context and foreknowledge of what is really going on here. We see in Psalm 44:1-3 that that the Psalmist doesn’t trust in himself because his trust is fully in the Lord who has proven Himself to be worthy of our confidence.

Psalm 44:1-3 says,

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.

We see here that the Lord has proven Himself worthy of our confidence. Where else better could we place our trust?

Below we will talk about confidence in Christ and why we can and should be confident in Him alone. These things can serve as lessons or even reminders to help us maintain of confidence in the work of Christ in our everyday lives.

We are commanded to be confident in Christ.

The Bible tells us not to “throw away our confidence” in Hebrews 10:35,

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Joshua 1:9 echoes this commandment to be “strong” and confident and provides a reason and way for to us to do so.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says the same thing,

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you.

We are commanded to be confident in Christ not only because He is with us “wherever we go”… but also because He will not “fail” or “forsake” us.

It is totally unnatural for us physical beings to have confidence in something we can’t see. When we have confidence that a chair will hold us up part of that confidence is attributed to the fact that we can visibly see the chair that looks reasonably sturdy underneath us as we go to sit in it. But… on the other hand some of that confidence comes from past run-ins with chairs or furniture. They have held up their end of the deal in the past, and because of that we can be reasonably certain that they will do so again. It’s along those same lines that we can have confidence in Christ. The ultimate test of that that confidence was the cross, and we can clearly see that Christ held up His end of the deal! The price is paid in full… so why would He fail us now!

Proverbs 3:5-6 says,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

There is no opponent bigger than God.

Psalm 27:1 says,

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?

Easier said than done…

When the world comes at us hard how are we supposed to maintain a sense of confidence that we are secure in Christ?

Job 11:18 answers that exact question when it says,

You will be confident, because there is hope. You will look carefully about and lie down in safety.

We can stay confident because there is hope in Christ! Like we stated earlier… the price has already been paid on our behalf. What else is left to fear? We understand that times will get hard but ultimately we will overcome because Christ himself overcame.

John 16:33 says,

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

We see an outstanding story of confidence in Christ in Exodus 14 when Moses has led the Israelites out of Egypt and the Egyptian army is pursuing them. That passage says in verses 10-14,

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

When we face trials that test our confidence in Christ sometimes the thing we need to do is the thing that is hardest for us to do: that is to be silent and trust.

Our strength doesn’t come from ourselves.

Too often our lack of confidence comes from our memories of distant or even recent mistakes or failures. We all fall short and none of us can make it apart from Christ.

Philippians 4:13 says,

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Many times we place our confidence and strength on ourselves and our own abilities or skillset or on those around us, unfortunately, we know that we are all human and we all fail and fall from time to time. Confidence placed on any mortal cannot truly last the test of time because people will fail us. We will even fail ourselves.

Proverbs 3:26 does well to remind us as to what our strength and confidence truly rests on and comes from.

For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

It is because of Christ and His perfection that we can securely place our confidence on Him and His work. It is enough. It won’t fail us.

Hebrews 4:16 says,

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God hears and stands beside His people.

The last and most life altering point to increase our confidence is knowing that we do not stand alone. A soldier may think twice about walking into battle alone… but luckily for us we have an army of saints around us and are led by God into every trial we face.

Isaiah 41:10 says,

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

We can have confidence in knowing that Christ hears all the prayers of His people and doesn’t turn a blind eye or deaf ear to our need.

1 John 5:14 says,

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Psalm 55:22 says,

Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

We WILL face trial… and come out the other side victorious in the end.

Psalm 34:19 says,

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

We can see that confidence in Christ and His work is something that can completely change the life of a believer. With the confidence that only Christ can give we can shake loose the chains of fear and inadequacy.

Colossians 3:3 says,

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

So because our lives are hidden with Christ in God we can be assured that when that test of confidence comes that God is with us and is sufficient to “rise to the occasion” on our behalf. Romans 8:28 says,

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.